Consumers often their own best advocates

The Desk loves diving into a good consumer issue and surfacing with a resolution.

But in many cases, our lovely readers figure things out on their own and share their triumphs.

View full sizeKate DavisKate Davis patiently pushed her cause with a national florist company. She ended up getting a 50 percent refund and ultimately, a full repayment.

So here's to Kate Davis, who very patiently, yet quite scathingly, pruned a national florist whose delivery arrived at the wrong house on the wrong day. She emailed the company, "A 50 percent refund is a reasonable suggestion on my part. I am no longer interested in using my time or the company's time to satisfy this desire. I encourage your corporation to consider letting one person manage each customer, in order to avoid the treatment of customers as digits."

Davis earned her sought-after refund and a $10 credit to the Web florist.

And a shout-out to Paula Cracas, who pulled off the biggest, though necessary, trick in appealing to a major, out-of-state corporation: She whittled the description of her problem (a disastrous foreign trip and tour) down to its essence. She earned a $2,775 refund -- and "concern"! -- from her credit card company.

"The San Francisco Better Business Bureau advised me to take the $700 offered disgruntled tour members," Cracas wrote, "but I was not willing to settle because of the principle of advertising one thing and not delivering what they advertised. ... And I won the admiration of my son who said 'Paula against Goliath, and Paula won.'" You got that right, son.

Last, cheers to John Lovegrove, who wouldn't let a loss, no matter how small, keep him from sleuthing a prepaid calling card caper that ultimately turned out to be a local store's mistake. His case offers some valuable insight into prepaid cards, which have gained popularity in recent years.

View full sizeJohn LovegroveJohn Lovegrove stayed on the case of the too-high long-distance rates and discovered a Fred Meyer stocking blooper. He also got a new prepaid calling card that's using the correct long-distance rate.

Lovegrove regularly buys $10 prepaid international calling cards for calling his parents in New Zealand. At nearly 5 cents a minute, he usually gets about 10 good chats a card.

But recently he noticed the card he'd bought at the Oak Grove Fred Meyer was nearly drained after three calls. He contacted the help line listed on the card and was told the per-minute rate was about 15 cents. He's well aware rates can change at any time, but he pointed out that the retailer's website still showed a 5-cent rate from Oregon to New Zealand.

Lovegrove spoke to multiple folks at Fred Meyer-parent Kroger Co.'s calling-card department to no avail. He then headed back to the store, where he was told it didn't offer customer service or refunds on the cards. Determined, he turned again to the website (krogerphonecard.com/kroger/home).

Lovegrove checked his balance online and studied the screen. There, he noticed his card was listed as a $10 Alaska card. He clicked over to the rate page and found that, indeed, the fee from Alaska to New Zealand was 15 cents. Apparently, the 1-800 number listed on his card needed to initiate long-distance calls was the one Alaskans use.

He returned to the store and checked all the $10 cards on the shelf and found they all included the Alaska number. Vindicated. The Desk knows that feeling well. Yet it doesn't always mean consumers get what they want.

Lovegrove tracked down a department manager and was unflinching in his demand for a replacement card. He got one, he said, as the manager explained the cards erroneously had been stocked at two places.

Lovegrove and The Desk checked a number of other local Fred Meyer stores and found cards with the correct number (1-800-592-7303).

Such mistakes can happen in an industry that includes a number of players: telephone companies, resellers, issuers, distributors and retailers. Any one of them can drop the ball and, especially, the call.

When problems arise with the retailer that sold the card, consumers can complain to their attorney general in Oregon and Washington). The Oregon attorney general also has a handy database where consumers can check a card issuer or retailer even before making the purchase.

And so, to all of you: Here's to more do-it-yourself fixes. But if that doesn't work, give The Desk a ring.